Alex Tankenoff (1905 - ) grew up poor and Jewish in St. Paul, Minnesota, eventually owning a successful brewery and brewery equipment company. In this interview, the discussion follows Tankenoff's life story, brewery business and involvement in the...

Will Swanson (1947-) grew up in Minnesota and studied ceramics, art and design at the University of Minnesota. After working at Fairview Hospital for fifteen years, Swanson married Janel Jacobson and began making pottery full-time at their home...

Richard Vincent (1955-) grew up in White Bear Lake and studied pottery in high school and at Lakewood Community College in Minnesota. In this interview, Vincent discusses his childhood; ceramics education; teaching experience; the establishment of...

Janet Koplos is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communications and earned a masters degree in art history from Illinois State University. She has been writing regularly on all art mediums for...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on April 21, 1982, Michael Sieben described family history, as well as his motivations to attend St. Cloud State. He was born in 1946, in Hastings,...

Linda Christianson (1952-) grew up in Barron, Wisconsin, and studied ceramics at Hamline University (St Paul, Minnesota), and the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts (Banff, Alberta, Canada), before returning to Minnesota to start her own ceramics...

In this interview, Roz Baker (1923 - ) gives an account of her life as a Jewish native of Minneapolis. She relates her family background which includes an immigration story to the United States from Russia through Cypress in 1915. She describes her...

In this interview, Warren MacKenzie (1924-) discusses his childhood and early experience with art; being drafted in 1943; his early ceramic education and studies at the Chicago Art Institute; his first wife, the late Alix MacKenzie, who was also a...

Rabbi Bernard Raskas (1924 - 2010), who led Temple of Aaron synagogue of St. Paul, Minnesota for 37 years, here gives a detailed account of his life and times as one of the most prominent leaders of the Twin Cities Jewish community. Highlights...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Strand was raised in Cyrus, Minnesota. He was a farmer in Cyrus and was elected to the state Senate in 1976. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Background. Initial involvement with powerline project. Pope County's involvement. Corridor...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Strand was raised in Cyrus, Minnesota. He was a farmer in Cyrus and was elected to the state Senate in 1976. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Background. Initial involvement with powerline project. Pope County's involvement. Corridor...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Barsness was a farmer from Cyrus, Pope County. She freelanced as a reporter on the powerline controversy for KMRS Radio and several newspapers in Pope County. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Getting involved in the powerline...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Barsness was a farmer from Cyrus, Pope County. She freelanced as a reporter on the powerline controversy for KMRS Radio and several newspapers in Pope County. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Getting involved in the powerline...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Nelson was born and raised on a farm and at the time of the interview was a farmer in Grant County, Minnesota. After graduating from high school, he earned a undergradute degree in physics at the University of Minnesota...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University librarians Norman Clarke and Lawrence Busse on February 14, 1974, February 25, 1975, November 26, 1975, and February 18, 1976, Harvey Waugh discussed his family background and a wide range...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Jacobson was the public relations manager for United Power Association. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: First involvement with powerline project. Role as public relations manager when Jacobson first joined UPA. Public hearing...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Crocker was from Minneapolis and graduated from Stillwater High School. He attended the University of Minnesota for several years when he became involved in the anti-war movement. He worked as a draft counselor and...

Keith Meland (1938 - ) grew up in Saint Louis Park and was a long time city council member. In this interview, the history of the development of Saint Louis Park, city policies and goals regarding development and expansion of residential and...

Robert (Bob) Briscoe (1947- ) grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and studied pottery with James Vandergriff in Zarah, Kansas, then with Lou Wynne in Colorado Springs, before moving to Minnesota where he established his pottery studio and co-founded the...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Tripp was a farmer from Belgrade in Stearns County. She was a protest leader and a candidate for Governor in 1978. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Learning about the powerline project. Involvement in Keep Towers Out, Counties United...

In this interview, Theatrice ""T"" Williams (1934 - ) gives his personal background and reasons for arriving in Minneapolis in the 1960s as a social worker on the North Side. Williams describes his relationship with the Phyllis Wheatley Center...

Guillermo Cuellar (1951 - ) was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, grew up in Caracas, and came to the United States to attend high school. He subsequently studied ceramics at Cornell College in Iowa. After graduation he returned to Venezuela and...

Edie Abnet (1947-) is a painter who was married to the late Richard Abnet (1934-2011) , a potter and founding host of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Abnet discusses her husband's childhood in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and...

In this interview, Mark Kiecker talks about his experience at Wilson Campus School, before and after the change, the classes and teachers he remembers, and his life after Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson...

Connee Mayeron-Cowles (1949 - ) grew up in Saint Louis Park, studied pottery at the University of Minnesota under Curt Hoard and Warren MacKenzie, and was a co-founder of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Mayeron-Cowles...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hartman was a project manager for the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. He received his undergraduate degree in History and Economics and a master's in Urban and Regional Planning. Prior to working for the Minnesota...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: The Fuchs were farmers and protest leaders from Belgrade, Stearns County. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How they learned about the line. Communicating with other farmers about the line. Preventing power company obtaining easements...

In this interview, Jeff Oestreich (1947-) discusses growing up in White Bear Lake; early experiences with music and art; undergraduate education at Bemidji State University; graduate studies with Warren MacKenzie at the University of Minnesota;...

Lorntsen, Conrad, tape 1, side2, narrator. He was of Norwegian descent. His spouse Fern Williams Lorntsen was present throughout the interview. Mr. Lorntsen is retired. He was interviewed at Mr. Lorntsen's home in Beaver Bay, Minnesota, by...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on January 30, 1980, John Weismann briefly discussed his family background. He was born on January 13, 1901, on a farm on Golden Lake, Minnesota,...

In this interview, Felix Phillips gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. Felix was born in Minneapolis, and raised in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Giving a brief family history, he explains that his...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hagen was a farmer from Pope County and was president of Counties United for a Rural Environment (CURE). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Background. How Hagen first learned about the the powerline project. Routing of line. Power...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on April 6, 1982, Louis Filippi described how his parents came from Italy before World War I and settled Keewatin, a town in Minnesota's Iron Range....

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Jost was a farmer near Morris in Stevens County. He was vice-president, board of directors of Cooperative Power Association and a member, board of directors of Agralite Cooperative. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Background. History...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Pick was a native of Wisconsin. She moved to Minneapolis in 1975 to attend school and work. While attending school on and off, she taught in special programs for emotionally disturbed children, worked in the theater, and...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on April 21, 1982, John Derus explained his family and educational background. Derus was born in 1940 in northeast Minneapolis. His family lived in...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hanson was raised on a farm and is a farmer in Pope County. He attended Alexandria Tech School and at the time of the interview was pursuing a degree at the University of Morris. In 1978, Hanson was the manager of Alice...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Sheldon was born and raised in Minneapolis. In 1970, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in journalism. After graduating, he was the editor of two weekly newspapers and was with Associated Press...